Maria and Camilleri are common names in Malta. She married a Borg, which is the most common surname in Malta. All this makes researching her history challenging.

She is one of my paternal 3 x great-grandmothers.

She was the daughter of Vincenzo Camilleri and Catherina Borg¹.

I have no clear details about her birth but since she married in 1857, I estimate she was born about 20 years earlier. Since her parents married in Cospicua, it’s possible she was born there but I have no evidence of this.

Titles

She had the title of “Nobile“² but it’s unclear if this title had any clear meaning, or was in use in the 19th century. She inherited this title through the Camilleri line where it had been for several centuries³.

Family

On Tuesday 24th November 1857⁴, she married Giovanni Borg⁵ in the parish church of St Paul Shipwrecked⁶ in Valletta. Fr Giorgios Magri officiated⁷.

As far as I can tell, they had only one child:

• Carmelo

Online databases show there were two women called Maria born to a Vincenzo and “Caterina”; one in 1812 and the other in 1817. The names are not unusual, so it’s likely this is a coincidence, but the combination of names is interesting. If either of these records refers to our Maria, then this implies she married in her forties which is unusual for the time. It would explain why she only has one child, though.

Support me!

If you’re enjoying my site, help support my work and research with a token donation.

€20.00

Notable events

Residence

Her son Carmelo was born in Valletta so she was living there in 1858⁸.

Occupation

Like all women at the time, she didn’t work and stayed at home⁹.

Curiosities

On her son’s death certificate, her name is listed as “Carmela” not “Maria”¹⁰

Death

She was still alive when her son Carmelo married in 1882¹¹ but had died by 1936 when Carmelo died¹².

References

1. Extract of Marriage of Giovanni Borg and Magdalena Camilleri. (1857). Liber Matrimonium, [online] Volume XV (1841 – 1862), p.551. Available at: www.maltaparisharchives.org [Accessed 3 Oct. 2025].[↩]
2. Said-Vassallo, C. (2018). Camilleri – Malta Genealogy. [online] Maltagenealogy. Available at: https://maltagenealogy.com/camilleri/ [Accessed 2 Jan. 2026].[↩]
3. Said-Vassallo, C. (2018). Camilleri – Malta Genealogy. [online] Maltagenealogy. Available at: https://maltagenealogy.com/camilleri/ [Accessed 2 Jan. 2026].[↩]
4. Extract of Marriage of Giovanni Borg and Magdalena Camilleri. (1857). Liber Matrimonium, [online] Volume XV (1841 – 1862), p.551. Available at: www.maltaparisharchives.org [Accessed 3 Oct. 2025].[↩]
5. Extract of Marriage of Giovanni Borg and Magdalena Camilleri. (1857). Liber Matrimonium, [online] Volume XV (1841 – 1862), p.551. Available at: www.maltaparisharchives.org [Accessed 3 Oct. 2025].[↩]
6. Extract of Marriage of Giovanni Borg and Magdalena Camilleri. (1857). Liber Matrimonium, [online] Volume XV (1841 – 1862), p.551. Available at: www.maltaparisharchives.org [Accessed 3 Oct. 2025].[↩]
7. Extract of Marriage of Giovanni Borg and Magdalena Camilleri. (1857). Liber Matrimonium, [online] Volume XV (1841 – 1862), p.551. Available at: www.maltaparisharchives.org [Accessed 3 Oct. 2025].[↩]
8. Act of Marriage of Carmelo Borg and Giovanna Parteca. Malta Government Public Registry, 15 Oct. 1882, www.certifikati.gov.mt. Accessed 5 Mar. 2025[↩]
9. Act of Marriage of Carmelo Borg and Giovanna Parteca. Malta Government Public Registry, 15 Oct. 1882, www.certifikati.gov.mt. Accessed 5 Mar. 2025[↩]
10. Act of Death of Carmelo Borg. (1936). Malta Government Public Registry. [online] Available at: https://certifikati.gov.mt [Accessed 7 Nov. 2025].[↩]
11. Act of Marriage of Carmelo Borg and Giovanna Parteca. Malta Government Public Registry, 15 Oct. 1882, www.certifikati.gov.mt. Accessed 5 Mar. 2025[↩]
12. Act of Death of Carmelo Borg. (1936). Malta Government Public Registry. [online] Available at: https://certifikati.gov.mt [Accessed 7 Nov. 2025].[↩]

Family Tree